After the French Revolution, a number of philosophers came to believe that the West was being propelled toward a deep moral crisis, a view that prevailed for some time and that was based on a perception of diminishing belief in truth. This can be seen in the writings of Edmund Burke and John Stuart Mill.
Edmund Burke was born in the eighteenth century in England. He was a statesman and a political thinker, and he was also involved in a dispute over the powers of the crown. Burke was closely involved in the constitutional controversy over George III's reign. The King was seeking to assert a more active role for the crown, which had lost influence in earlier times, and to do so without infringing on the limitations of the royal prerogative set by the revolution settlement. Burke argued that George's actions were against the spirit of the constitution, though not its letter. He offered a new justification of party, defined as a body of men united on public principle and able to act as a constitutional link between king and Parliament. Burke continued to work for the curtailment of the powers of the crown. He was present as a movement began for parliamentary reform as well, including wider political participation in society, and he supported the latter to a degree, provided that there was evidence of rationality, restraint of aggressive partiality, and dedication to the common good.
Burke later fought against the Revolution in France and demanded war against the new state. He believed that the French Revolution had brought about a devaluation in tradition. He saw strength in the English constitution, which offered continuity and unorganized growth as well as a respect for traditional wisdom. Burke's writings on France cannot be considered a complete statement of his views on politics, and in fact he never gave a systematic exposition of his fundamental beliefs, only raising them in relation to specific issues. He has been...